The Naked Brewer by Christina Perozzi and Hallie Beaune

New Cookbook

Homebrewers are generally a jolly lot, and the people who write about homebrewing are even more so. I'll tell you now, The Naked Brewer will make you laugh out loud. These ladies are seriously funny — and they know their stuff, too. You'll want your notebooks handy, my homebrewing friends, because even as it entertains, this book is all about helping you brew better beer.

• Other highlights: I really love the very human, very real approach Perozzi and Beaune take in this book. It's so easy for homebrewers, both new and veteran, to get bogged down in technical details and buying fancy equipment. Perozzi and Beaune write to the homebrewing situation that most of us are faced with: small living spaces, limited funds, and a deep burning desire to brew our own beer.

There are recipes in this book for brewers of all levels: all-extract brews for your first time brewing, all-grain brews for folks who want a bigger challenge, and some in the middle. All the recipes make 2 1/2 gallon batches, which give you about twenty-four 12-ounce bottles. This keeps the equipment and space you need for brewing to a minimum, perfect for those of us living in small spaces or sharing apartments.

One note: since it's entirely text, this is definitely a book for people who learn well from reading, rather than having photos or drawings to help show how things are done. As descriptive and well-written as this book is, I could imagine getting stuck without a visual aid on some of the more technical steps if you've never brewed before.

• Who would enjoy this book? Beginning homebrewers, middle and advanced homebrewers looking for new recipes and brew inspiration

Apartment Therapy Media makes every effort to test and review products fairly and transparently. The views expressed in this review are the personal views of the reviewer and this particular product review was not sponsored or paid for in any way by the manufacturer or an agent working on their behalf. However, the manufacturer did give us the product for testing and review purposes.

Emma is the recipe editor for The Kitchn and a graduate of the Cambridge School for Culinary Arts. She is the author of True Brews and Brew Better Beer (Spring 2015). Check out her personal blog for more cooking stories.